Studying Successfully in Germany: Workshop on Intercultural Competence for International Students

As part of the DAAD-funded project IFMB2 (Internationale Fachkräfte für die Metropolregion Berlin-Brandenburg), the International Office cordially invites you to a workshop to promote intercultural competence for international students.

In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of culturally sensitive cooperation, specifically tailored to studying in Germany. They will also gain valuable insights and practical strategies for successful intercultural communication in an academic environment.

Together, they explore different cultural perspectives on topics such as understanding hierarchies, communication, time management and avoiding uncertainty. The students reflect on their own cultural background and share their experiences in the group.

A central component of the workshop is the German academic system: we shed light on its history, values and expectations. Participants will be given helpful tools to overcome intercultural challenges and better categorise culturally related misunderstandings. We will also discuss success factors and possible obstacles to successful intercultural cooperation.

Finally, we will look at the topic of feedback and analyse different feedback approaches, their application in an intercultural context and personal preferences.

Profile of the trainer

Helen Schliep, M. Sc., is co-director of the training company Working Between Cultures and an expert in intercultural communication and global cooperation.

She studied anthropology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, focusing on anthropological field research and conducting a comprehensive study of expat culture in Malaysia. This work sharpened her awareness of power structures and understanding of different perspectives. She went on to deepen her knowledge of structural discrimination through a Masters programme in International Development at the University of Edinburgh.

Helen has international work experience: she led an international work camp for the IJGD, worked at the Goethe-Institut and for a civil society organisation in Jordan. She completed her training as an intercultural trainer with InterCultur.

In her current role as co-director of Working Between Cultures, she runs training programmes for universities and the public sector. She specialises in intercultural cooperation, global diversity, unconscious bias, changing perspectives, communication and dealing with difficult conversations.